The present invention relates to a boot, especially a ski boot or snowboard boot.
Such boots are known in principle from the prior art and are used especially in various fields of sport, for example in mountain climbing, skiing and snowboarding, it being important in the first instance that in use the boot ensures secure support, especially in the foot region, without the boot's cutting into the bend of the foot. Furthermore, the boot should sit sufficiently firmly in the region of the shin in order to transfer the force of the user, especially in the case of skiing or snowboarding, to the sports equipment in question in the best possible way.
In addition to the firm support which a boot should offer, it is desirable that it should be capable of being laced up in such a way that the user can easily put on and take off the boot with relatively little effort. In the case of ski boots or snowboard boots, that requirement relating to the lacing system of the boot is of particular importance, because the boot is generally covered in ice after use, with the result that the lacing system can often be loosened only with considerable effort.
DE 20 2004 019 082 U1, for example, discloses a boot of the kind mentioned at the beginning, the lacing system of that boot consisting of two bootlaces. One bootlace is used for lacing up the boot in the leg region, whereas the other bootlace is provided for lacing up the foot region. For that purpose, the bootlace associated with the foot region is attached to the boot by one end. In the foot region, the bootlace is guided through three redirection elements which are each mounted to the side of the boot tongue. After the third redirection element, the free end of the lower bootlace is guided upwards along the leg of the boot, where the lace ends in a handgrip.
The upper bootlace associated with the leg of the boot is joined to the boot and guided in the boot in an analogous way.
In the solution known from the prior art, the two bootlaces are operable independently of one another, so that a first upper lacing zone in the region of the leg of the boot can be tightened or loosened independently of a second lower lacing zone in the region of the foot portion of the boot. As a result of the two separate lacing zones in the leg and foot regions of the boot, at least in some areas there is no lacing acting on the transition region between the two zones, that is to say in the region of the bend of the foot.
There is therefore a risk that insufficient tension will be built up in the region of the bend of the foot so that the secure support in the boot is impaired. In addition, it has been found that to remove the boot it is necessary to loosen both the upper and the lower zones. Because the two lacings act independently of one another, it is not sufficient merely to slacken the upper lacing zone, because the foot is held firmly by the lower lacing, and it is not possible to step out of the boot easily.